21 Day Fix Tips!

   21 Day Fix has been my savior! The workouts are only 30 minutes long, making it ideal for a busy mom such as myself.  The nutrition guide is super simple to follow, and the portion control container system developed by Autumn Calabrese is genius! The combination allowed me to drop 41 lbs. in 6 months.  As a Team Beachbody coach, I always encourage all of my clients to begin with this program because it teaches them clean eating in the correct portion sizes without calorie counting.  Who has time for calorie counting? Definitely not me!

Recently I've noticed posts in my challenge groups from fixers having a hard time getting started, so I'd thought I'd share some tips that have helped me to be successful, as well as, a free printable!

Start Here:

1. Download & print this handy meal planning printable!

Next:

1. Use this formula to figure out your calorie range. 

2. Flip to page 19 in your nutrition guide and use the chart to determine which calorie range you fall in.  If you are below the lowest calorie range, round up.  If you are above the highest, round down.

After you've figured out your calorie range, see the chart to determine how many of each colored container you are allowed each day.

Now:

Make a master list of clean eating recipes.

You'll be referring to this list constantly, so keep it easily accessible from multiple devices. 

You can find all kinds of recipes online, and you can make your list many different ways.  Pinterest is an awesome resource for searching recipe.  I highly suggest making a "Clean Eating" board & using it as your master list.

I have a board for the recipes I've tried and use often then another for the ones I've yet to try.

LET'S PLAN!

1. Grab a piece of scratch paper, and mark off your containers as you plan your meals.

Ex) If you are allowed 5 Green Containers, write 5 G's on your paper.

Each time you use a Green Container in your meal plan. Mark a "G" out for that day.

Same goes for the other colors. Repeating the process for each day of the week.

2. Plan the easy meals first.

For me the easiest are breakfast and snacks.

I usually rotate the same few things for these meals which makes them easier to choose quickly. So if you have several "go to" items you know you will eat often, fill these things in first. 

Then, make a list of them to refer back to for easing planning.

Planning Dinner!

This is where is gets fun! 

Use your master list to rotate in new recipes.

Plan your dinners according to your time restraints.  If you know it going to be a super busy day, plan a crock pot meal.

Always make an extra serving or two for lunches throughout the week!

Lunch.

I eat leftovers and/or salad for lunch almost 100% of time time.

 Using leftovers saves a ton of time on meal prep day & quite a bit of $$ out of my grocery budget since I'm not buying extra ingredients for lunch time meals.

Use your leftover proteins from the night before on top of a pile of salad greens.

Other thoughts.

When creating your own recipes, use your containers as you add your ingredients to the recipe to figure out the portion size.

Spread your containers out evenly throughout the day.  This way you are getting adequate nutrients all day long, and allowing your body to break them down appropriately. 

Try to eat your carbs early in the day.